Think for yourself, or others will think for you without thinking of you.
-Henry David Thoreau
Do you want your children to have real, robust conversations in which they are able to hear ideas that challenge the categories they may be trapped by?
At Acton, our philosophy of learning drives the way we approach the development of such skills. We believe that clear thinking leads to good decisions, good decisions lead to the right habits, the right habits lead to character, and character becomes destiny. We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.
It is the courage to take on great challenges with learning to do that forms the character in learning to be.
It’s the repetition of practicing processes and algorithms to learn how to learn to follow a process to deliver excellent work.
We believe in preparing our young people to live in the real world with well-developed gifts to share so that they are able to humbly and confidently deliver a calling that changes it.
Civilization at Acton Lakewood always includes a Socratic discussion.
Why are Socratic discussions at Acton so different than what you find in a typical school? The answer is simple: we are most concerned with the structure of the conversation itself. With strong rules of engagement, learners are granted space to learn how to think by practicing genuinely listening to another’s point of view, and then taking the risk to agree or disagree. Children at Acton learn to do this over time without impugning other’s motives and without the habit of assuming that just because you’ve come to a position on something means you’re morally right or granted authority to control how someone else lives.
The best Socratic questions are ones that no one knows the answer to and through which learners wrestle with ideas that are counter to what they already think.
Socratic discussions are one of the best ways to learn!
Have a great week, Molly Franklin Head of School
PS
Check out more photos from last week (which ended with Halloween fun) here. Better yet, meet us in person by scheduling a tour.
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